Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Industrial Products: EU Law

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made on the effect of leaving the EU on European Conformity marking for industrial products; and if he will take steps to ensure that the legal framework for that marking in the UK reflects EU regulation after the UK has left the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government recognises the important role of conformity marking in providing confidence that a product meets the relevant essential requirements as set out in legislation. Through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill these requirements will be brought into UK law as we leave the EU.My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister said in her Mansion House speech that a fundamental principle in our negotiating strategy should be that trade between the UK and the EU should be as frictionless as possible. She set out our intention to agree a comprehensive system of mutual recognition and that UK and EU regulatory standards will remain substantially similar in the future.

Business: UK Trade With EU

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance has been issued to businesses to help them prepare for the effect on their ability to trade with the EU of changes to the regulatory system in the EU after the UK has left the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: Since the referendum, the Department has engaged with over 2500 businesses and representative organisations across sectors, both here and in Europe, to deepen our understanding of the key business priorities and opportunities after our withdrawal; including on important issues such as the need for an Implementation Period.Our agreement on the Implementation Period gives business the clarity and confidence that market access and common regulatory rules will remain in place until the end of 2020, meaning businesses will be able to trade on the same terms as now.The Government recognises the importance of minimising disruption to businesses and will continue to engage on these issues as we progress to negotiating our deep and ambitious future economic partnership with the EU.

Foreign Companies: Ownership

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he will publish the results of his call for evidence on a public register of the beneficial owners of overseas companies that own or buy UK property or bid for UK Government contracts.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government has published its response to the call for evidence on the proposed register of overseas entities’ beneficial ownership on 22 March and issued a Written Ministerial Statement announcing this publication (HCWS576).

Foreign Companies: Ownership

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether any part of the draft Bill for a public register of the beneficial owners of overseas companies that own or buy UK property or bid for UK Government contracts is still to be drafted.

Andrew Griffiths: Work to prepare draft legislation for establishing a world-first register of overseas entities’ beneficial ownership is ongoing. The Government has made good progress and is on track to meeting its commitment of publishing the draft Bill before the summer recess this year.

Car Washes: Warnings

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will introduce legislative proposals to create a mandatory requirement that maximum vehicle height warnings be clearly displayed for automated car washes.

Andrew Griffiths: This Department has no plans to do so.

Boating: Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of Government funding for Ben Ainslie’s sailing team; what assessment was made (a) before and (b) after that expenditure of its cost-effectiveness; what return was expected from that investment; and whether further funding will be allocated to the team.

Andrew Griffiths: In 2014 Government agreed up to £7.5 million funding to support Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team and their proposal to be based on the Camber in Portsmouth. Details of this funding agreement have previously been released and are publicly available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-approves-75-million-for-sir-ben-ainslie-project-to-boost-portsmouthNo further funding to the team is currently planned.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 apply to in-home displays for smart meters.

Claire Perry: Yes, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 apply to In-Home Displays.

Renewable Energy

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February to Question 127499, on Renewable Energy, for what reasons levels of investment in renewable energy are not monitored.

Claire Perry: As set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, the Government wants a diverse electricity system that supplies our homes and businesses with secure, affordable and clean power. The Department collects a wealth of data on these objectives, including on energy production, capacity, and the role of renewables, which are published quarterly[1].Monitoring investment is challenging because there are a range of complex factors involved. Monitoring it in detail would involve Government requiring investors and developers to report in detail on the specifics of private, confidential agreements, and this would be disproportionately burdensome. In order to improve understanding of the investment landscape, Government does subscribe to commercial data services, but it would not be appropriate to report such data, both as it is proprietary and because we cannot be sure of its completeness and accuracy. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewables-section-6-energy-trends

EU Framework Programme

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to seek Associated Country status for the UK for the EU's Framework Programme 9.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We want to ensure that the next EU framework programme for research and development (FP9) remains focused on excellence, with appropriate financial contributions and suitable level of influence for Associated Countries. We have set out further detail in our recent FP9 position paper and sought to assure the EU of our commitment to ongoing collaboration in Science and Innovation. The UK’s participation in FP9 will depend upon the outcome of our negotiations with the EU.

Fracking: Agriculture and Tourism

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the effect of shale gas extraction on the (a) farming and (b) tourism industry.

Claire Perry: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has regular discussions with Cabinet Ministers on matters relating to energy policy.

Pyramid Selling: Bankruptcy and Debt Relief Orders

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of participants in multi-level marketing schemes that have applied for debt relief or bankruptcy orders since 2010.

Andrew Griffiths: The Insolvency Service does not hold this information.

Direct Selling

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that misleading claims about the financial benefits of multi-level marketing schemes are tackled.

Andrew Griffiths: The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) prohibit pyramid selling schemes and traders in all sectors from making misleading claims. This would include misleading claims about the financial benefits of multi-level marketing schemes. Enforcement of the CPRs is by local authority Trading Standards Services.Alleged breaches of the legislation should be reported in the first instance to the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk/). The helpline offers a free service to consumers on their rights and can refer on complaints to Trading Standards for further enforcement action where appropriate.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Security Council to ensure that the UN peacekeeping mission to Western Sahara is given a mandate to monitor and report on human rights in Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: We will consider with our UN Security Council partners how best to ensure that MINURSO’s mandate continues to enable it to support peace and security in Western Sahara. UN Security Council Resolutions renewing MINURSO’s mandate have consistently encouraged the parties to continue their efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara.

Rwanda: Religious Freedom

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Rwandan Government on freedom of religion in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: ​I have not made representations to the Rwandan Foreign Minister specifically about freedom of religion in Rwanda.The British Government, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and DFID, speaks candidly with the Government of Rwanda about human rights, freedom of expression and governance. We regularly engage them at the highest levels, particularly regarding civil and political rights and domestic accountability. DFID has signed a Development Partnership Agreement to hold the Government of Rwanda more strongly to account. This includes a series of commitments by the Government of Rwanda on promoting poverty reduction, human rights and good governance.

Department of Health and Social Care

European Reference Networks

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with representatives of the devolved administrations on the work of the European Reference Networks after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government's policy paper, ‘Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper’ stresses the importance of continued collaboration with European partners to ensure that the United Kingdom remains one of the best places in the world for science and innovation. European Reference Networks (ERNs) for rare diseases patients were cited in the paper as an example of collaboration that the UK and European Union need to discuss in the negotiations.ERNs are a cornerstone of the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases. Implementation of the Strategy is overseen by the UK Policy Board which has representation from all of the four UK nations.The Government has been clear from the start that the devolved administrations should be fully engaged in our preparations to leave the EU, including through the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations.We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the devolved administrations going forward as we seek a deal that works for the entire UK.

Alzheimer's Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that sufficient funding is available to provide drugs for Alzheimer's disease to patients.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government remains strongly committed to supporting research into dementia and the United Kingdom research community is playing a significant role in the global effort to find a cure or a major disease-modifying treatment by 2025.The Government has doubled research spending on dementia, with a commitment to maintain this level of spending of at least £60 million a year to 2020, with an ambition for overall spending on research from all sectors to double by 2025. Much of this investment is in research to better understand the nature of dementia, to inform development of future treatments and ways to prevent the onset of the condition.We will need to consider the potential impacts that new and emerging treatments for Alzheimer’s disease may have on the health system. We will engage with initiatives such as Alzheimer’s Research UK’s proposed Taskforce which seek to identify innovative and cooperative solutions for making available future medicines and diagnostic approaches for people living with dementia.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February to Question 128018, on Clinical Priorities Advisory Group, on what date NHS England plans to announce (a) announce the results of the prioritisation process and (b) make funding available for approved medicines policies.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what process was used to forecast budgetary need in order to determine the £25 million annual budget allocation for products undergoing review by the NHS England specialised commissioning prioritisation process.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) annual budget, (b) total annual expenditure and (c) rationale for how budget allocations were arrived at was for products reviewed by the NHS England specialised commissioning prioritisation process for the last three years for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England has advised that it is expected that the recommendations from the relative prioritisation process will be received by the Specialised Services Commissioning Committee (SSCC) meeting on 19 June 2018. The aim will be to communicate the results as soon as possible following the SSCC meeting.A process of relative prioritisation for determining discretionary investment in new specialised services was first introduced in 2016/17. Investment decisions are informed following advice from NHS England’s independently chaired Clinical Priorities Advisory Group and against a budget that is fixed annually. In 2016/17 and again in 2017/18, £25 million was set aside for this purpose. This was considered an appropriate level of investment in the context of NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning function having to achieve overall efficiency savings of approximately 2.7% and approximately 2.5% in 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively in order to meet the financial pressures resulting from demographic growth and the legal requirement to fund all positive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisals. Once funding is distributed following this relative prioritisation process, spend is not separately monitored.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Official Hospitality

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much money his Department has spent on hospitality in each of the last five years.

Stuart Andrew: The amount spent hospitality in the Wales Office for the last five financial years is shown below: Financial YearSpend on Hospitality2012-13Nil2013-14Nil2014-158,4392015-16Nil2016-17Nil

Department for Education

Reading: Witham

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils in Witham constituency (a) attained and (b) exceeded the minimum standard for reading at (i) key stage 1 and (ii) key stage 2 in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Department has published some statistics for Key Stage 2 attainment for individual parliamentary constituencies since 2011/2[1]. Please be aware that the headline measures used across the years have changed and that comparison between years is not advised. The Department does not publish constituency level attainment data for Key Stage 1. [1] For 2011/12 – 2013/14 the information is located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2014-revised - open the ‘parliamentary constituency tables’, you can change year in the top right. This table provides the percentage achieving level 4 or above in each subject.For 2014/15, the information is located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2015-revised - open the ‘additional tables’ and then tab ‘Table B3’. This table provides the percentage achieving level 4 or above in each subject.For 2015/16, the information is located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2016-revised - open the ‘additional tables’ and then tab ‘Table A5’. This table provides the percentage achieving the epected standard in each subject.For 2016/17 the information is located here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2017-revised - open the ‘additional tables’ and then tab ‘Table A5’, this table provides the progress score of pupils in each subject, in line with the updated headline measures for key stage 2 attainment.

Education: Parents

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to review his Department's guidance to Ofsted on parental engagement.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 03 April 2018



School leaders and governing bodies should ensure there are mechanisms in place to be connected with and answerable to the communities they serve, particularly parents and carers. This is set out in the Department’s Governance Handbook for maintained schools, academies and multi-academy trusts. The Department does not provide specific guidance to Ofsted on parental engagement. How school inspection is conducted on these and other matters is for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many career adviser networks have been approved by the Careers Enterprise Company; and where those networks are located.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Career Adviser Network; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Careers & Enterprise Company's Enterprise Adviser Network is now active in all 38 Local Enterprise Partnership areas in England. Since the launch of the Network, over 2,000 Enterprise Advisers have signed up, and nearly 1,500 of those are already working with schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise provision. An evaluation of the first two years of the Enterprise Adviser Network was published in November 2017 and can be found on The Careers & Enterprise Company’s website at www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/research/publications/fuelling-young-peoples-futures. The evaluation found that the Network is already having a positive impact. Schools and colleges reported their students were benefiting from 50% more employer encounters than previously.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Procurement

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) officials in his Department have held meetings with (i) representatives of (a) Cambridge Analytica, (b) SCL Group and (c) Global Science Research and (ii) Alexander Nix.

Lucy Frazer: The Secretary of State for Justice and the Ministers of his department have not met with any representatives of Cambridge Analytica, SCL Group and Global Science Research or Alexander Nix.Departments publish quarterly details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on GOV.UK. These can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/moj-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings#2017 As well as ministerial meetings, departmental officials meet external organisations on a regular and ongoing basis.

Facial Disfigurement: Discrimination

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the number of discrimination cases relating to disfigurement brought under the Equality Act 2010 since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice currently publishes data on six discrimination jurisdictions including age, sex, religion, disability, race and sexual orientation, which are dealt with in the Employment Tribunal. The data can be found using the link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2017 There are no future plans to include the number of discrimination cases relating to disfigurement brought under the Equality Act 2010 in the published statistics.

Post-mortems: Tomography

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of using computerised tomography for post-mortems; and what guidance his Department has issued to coroners on the use of that technology.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has not assessed the use of computerised tomography for post-mortem examinations because this is a matter for individual coroners who decide how to proceed in light of guidance from the Chief Coroner. The guidance can be found on his website at: https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/guidance-no-1-use-of-port-mortem-imaging.pdf The guidance says that a coroner should consider, with the assistance of a pathologist and, where appropriate, a radiologist, whether this method is the most appropriate in any particular case, bearing in mind the wishes of the bereaved family and, if known, of the deceased.

Gender Recognition: Sentencing

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what sentencing guidelines have been put in place to provide for the consideration of the specific needs of transgender people.

Lucy Frazer: An HMPPS instruction (PSI 17/2016) advises Pre-sentence report (PSR) writers must consider requesting a full adjournment for the preparation of a PSR where a custodial sentence outcome appears likely, and an offender discloses that they are transgender, on the basis that transgender people may have more complex needs. This guidance is included in the Equal Treatment Bench Book chapter on transgender, published by the Judicial Office. Additionally, a local Transgender Case Board should be convened, either during pre-sentence report preparation or within three working days of reception into custody, to assess and determine the most appropriate location and initial care and management plan for the transgender individual in custody. Regardless of where a transgender individual is being held, we expect that they will be respected and addressed in the gender with which they identify; and we are committed to ensuring that they are treated fairly, lawfully and decently.

Post-mortems

Rachel Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the value and purpose of secondary post-mortems.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice is not proposing to review second post-mortem examinations. Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way they carry out their judicial functions is a matter for them.

Post-mortems

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the extent of variations in rules and protocols surrounding second post-mortems throughout the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The MoJ has not made such an assessment. Coroners continue to rely on Home Office Circular 30/1999 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20040722015642/http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/hoc9930.html Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way they carry out their judicial functions is a matter for them.

Ministry of Justice: Official Hospitality

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much money his Department has spent on hospitality in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: Information to answer this question is not held at departmental level. A check would have to be made of MoJ HQ and individual premises across the HMCTS and HMPPS estates to obtain the information requested and this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the criteria used to designate housing as affordable for identifying real affordability; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: On 5 March we published a draft revised National Planning Policy Framework which included a revised definition of affordable housing. This built on the consultation undertaken as part of the Housing White Paper last year. The consultation is open until 10 May.Since 2010, we have delivered over 357,000 new affordable homes, including over 257,000 affordable homes for rent.Affordable housing remains the Government’s priority. That’s why the Prime Minister recently announced an additional £2 billion funding for affordable housing, increasing the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21 budget to over £9 billion to deliver a wide range of affordable housing, including social rent homes, by March 2021.

Inland Waterways: Greater London

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to revise the planning system to encourage the installation of shore side electricity at wharves and moorings on the Thames and London Waterways.

Rishi Sunak: The National Policy Statement for Ports, makes clear for applicants submitting development proposals that all proposals should either include reasonable provisions to allow the possibility of future provision of shore-ship electrical infrastructure, or give reasons as to why it would not be economically and environmentally worthwhile to make such a provision. Considerations should be based on the dwell time of vessels and technical compatibility of the ships intended to call at the port, as well as on the emissions and other impacts.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Scotland

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the Scottish Government’s proposed once-for-Scotland approach.

Sarah Newton: We continue to work closely with the Scottish Government on devolved matters, however we do not anticipate a significant impact from the proposed “Once for Scotland” approach for NHS Scotland services on my Department.

Access to Work Programme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January to Question 125002, what her Department defines as an adverse impact.

Sarah Newton: An adverse impact could include a negative effect on quantitative measures such as disabled people's employment rates, reduction in hours worked or earnings or reduced uptake of Access to Work provision, or qualitative measures such as customer or employer experiences. We have committed to the ongoing monitoring of the impact of the cap and intend to publish an update to the Equality Analysis published in May 2015 as a formal addendum.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-access-to-work

Access to Work Programme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pursuant to the Answer of 31 January to Question 125002 on access to work programme, what assessment she has made of the level of support for the cap.

Sarah Newton: My officials and I have had fruitful discussions about the Access to Work cap with disability groups, notably the UK Council on Deafness and also with the All Party Parliamentary Group on deafness. They have welcomed the cap being raised from £42,100 to £57,200 from 1st April.

Personal Independence Payment

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department use to review the list of health conditions requiring additional support in the personal independence payments assessment guide.

Sarah Newton: The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Guide makes clear that the list of health conditions requiring additional support only provides examples of conditions that may mean the claimant could struggle to engage with the claims process, but is not exhaustive.More information can be found in Part 1, section 1.12, of the PIP Assessment Guide: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment guide for assessment providers - GOV.UK

Personal Independence Payment

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the recommendation in the Brain Tumour Charity’s report entitled The Price You Pay, published in March 2018, on including brain tumours in the list of health conditions requiring additional support in the personal independence payment assessment guide.

Sarah Newton: The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Guide makes it clear that the list of health conditions requiring additional support is not exhaustive, rather it provides examples of conditions that may mean the claimant could struggle to engage with the claims process. Claimants with or recovering from a brain tumour who require additional support are therefore included. More information can be found in Part 1, section 1.12, of the PIP Assessment Guide: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment guide for assessment providers - GOV.UK

Personal Independence Payment: Autism

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment assessors understand autism and its effect on claimants’ lives.

Sarah Newton: The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment is not a medical assessment requiring the assessor to diagnose a condition and recommend treatment options. The focus is on ensuring Health Professionals are experts in disability analysis, focusing on the effects of health conditions and impairments on a claimant’s daily life. All Health Professionals undertaking PIP assessments must be registered practitioners who have also met requirements around training and competence. They must be an occupational therapist, level 1 nurse, physiotherapist, paramedic or doctor and must also be fully registered and have at least 2 years post full-registration experience, although this can be waived in exceptional circumstances by the Department. All Health Professionals receive training on a wide range of conditions including autism as part of their initial new entrant training. This includes detailed modules covering all aspects of autism and learning disabilities, as well as simulated assessments to enable Health Professionals to understand how these conditions impacts on a person’s ability to undertake the activities in the PIP assessment. This is followed by on-going professional training and support which continues for the duration of their employment in the role. Both Assessment Providers employ specialist practitioners who have clinical experience in either a mental health or learning disability role, who provide advice and support to Health Professionals on particular conditions including autism, and can be referred to at any point during the assessment process. In addition, the Assessment Providers engage with a range of stakeholders including the National Autistic Society, to strengthen, review and update their training programmes.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January to Question 124442 on Energy: Meters, which body is responsible for monitoring the compliance of energy companies with the waste duty of care legislation when the original manufacturer cannot be verified.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The regulators for the duty of care are the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales in Wales and local authorities.

Horses: Databases

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make registration to the Central Equine Database a statutory requirement for horse owners.

George Eustice: All horses resident in the UK are required to hold an equine passport, which requires registration with a UK Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO). Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/262 requires the particulars of this passport to be included in a national equine database, which includes details of the horse’s owner. The UK therefore requires all PIOs to share relevant data with the Central Equine Database. This gives government, Local Authorities and the Food Standards Agency access to records on all horses and other equines resident in the UK.

Game: Animal Welfare

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the maintenance of animal welfare standards for game birds.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to undertake a review of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The welfare of game birds is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal or to fail to provide an animal with its welfare needs. The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes, which was made under the Act, provides additional protection and provides keepers with guidance on how to meet the welfare needs of their game birds. The Act and Defra’s Code are enforced by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. We are working with industry to identify and disseminate best practice and ensure effective enforcement. We are not currently planning to change these requirements.

Graffiti: Urban Areas

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support the removal of graffiti tagging to clean up (a) towns and (b) cities in the UK.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We have recently increased the fixed penalties that local authorities can issue for littering, graffiti and fly-posting. From 1 April 2018, the maximum fixed penalty will nearly double from £80 to £150, and the default penalty will increase from £75 to £100. From April 2019, the minimum fixed penalty will also increase from £50 to £65. Councils retain the income from these Fixed Penalty Notices, which must be spent on their functions relating to keeping land and highways of litter and refuse (including enforcement), and enforcement against graffiti and fly-posting offences. We are clear that any enforcement action must be proportionate and in the public interest. Graffiti removal is also typical of the types of projects assigned to offenders taking part in Community Payback schemes. Community Rehabilitation Companies are responsible for assigning offenders who have been sentenced to carry out unpaid work as part of their community sentences to specific work assignments, so it would be for local councils to work with the relevant Community Rehabilitation Company to arrange this.

Recycling

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many recycling centres are there in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The numbers of household waste recycling centres reported to Government by local authorities in a) England is 685 and in b) Wales is 84.

Home Office

Extradition

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) import extradition requests her Department received from and (b) export extradition requests her Department made to non-category 1 and 2 countries in each year since 2016; and how many of each such requests were (i) granted and (ii) refused.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not routinely published.

Extradition

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many export extradition requests her Department received from Category 2 territories in each year since 2016; and of those requests how many (a) were certified, (b) were approved by district judges at extradition hearings and (c) faced extradition.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not routinely published.

Extradition

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many import extradition requests from Category 2 territories were passed to the International Criminality Unit of the Home Office in each year since 2016; how many such requests she authorised to be sent to Category 2 territories for hearing in courts in those territories; and in how many of those cases the court ordered extradition.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not routinely published.

Internet: Data Protection

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the volume of UK citizens’ data held by companies (a) supplying cloud services to her Department and (b) contracted to deliver cloud services on behalf of her Department which is subject to information requests from US Government bodies.

Victoria Atkins: We currently store some of our data with cloud services providers using a variety of technologies and services. The complexity and range of services means that we do not explicitly estimate the proportions of citizen-related data that are held. Our cloud services providers meet the requirements of current legislation which, through the EU-US Privacy Shield, imposes obligations on US companies to protect Europeans’ personal data.

Proceeds of Crime: International Cooperation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to remain within the Asset Recovery Network once the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Ben Wallace: The UK is committed to future cooperation with the EU on law enforcement and security, including in relation to the recovery of criminal assets. The UK will remain a member of CARIN (the Camden Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network), an informal network of contacts and a cooperative group concerned with all aspects of confiscating the proceeds of crime. It is a network of practitioners from 53 jurisdictions, including EU Member States, and 9 international organisations.Also, the National Crime Agency, which is the UK’s designated Asset Recovery Office for current EU purposes, will continue with its functions in relation to proceeds of crime both domestically and internationally.

Counter-terrorism

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that the effectiveness of anti-terror (a) legislation and (b) policies, including financial sanctions will be maintained after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government’s future partnership paper on security, law enforcement and criminal justice published on 18 September 2017 set out how the UK is seeking a future relationship with the EU and its Member States that provides for practical operational cooperation; facilitates data driven law enforcement; and supports multilateral cooperation through EU agencies.We continue to value our cooperation and information sharing through measures such as the European Arrest Warrant (EAW), Europol, the European Criminal Record Information System (ECRIS) and the Schengen Information System (SIS II) in our efforts to fight cross-border crime and terrorism.The Government’s counter-terrorism legislation and policies will continue to remain comprehensive and effective following the UK’s exit from the EU.The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill is progressing through the House of Commons. The Bill provides the UK with the ability to make a variety of sanctions regimes, including for complying with a UN obligation. The Bill will also give the UK powers to create UK autonomous sanctions regimes. The Prime Minister has said that we will look to carry over all EU sanctions at the time of our departure, and we will all be stronger if the UK and EU have the means to co-operate on sanctions now, and potentially to develop them together in the future.

Domestic Violence: Children and Young People

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the (a) availability and (b) adequacy of support services for children and young people experiencing domestic violence.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to ensure that sufficient support is available for children who experience domestic abuse.A joint Ofsted, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services and Care Quality Commission inspection into the impact of domestic abuse on children published last year, identified that whilst progress had been made, agencies’ response still needed to improve.The Government is committed to acting on the recommendations and announced on 8 March that it is making £8 million of funding available which will be targeted towards services supporting children who witness domestic abuse.The Government also published a consultation on 8 March on how we can transform our approach to domestic abuse. The consultation, which explicitly seeks views on further steps to address the impact of domestic abuse on children, will help to inform further action to support children and young people.

Nitrous Oxide: Misuse

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the misuse of nitrous oxide.

Victoria Atkins: Psychoactive substances, such as nitrous oxide, have already cost far too many lives. That is why we changed the law in 2016 to make it illegal to supply substances that are capable of having a psychoactive effect. The introduction of the Psychoactive Substances Act sent out a clear message – we will take whatever action is necessary to keep our families and communities safe. Since the Act came into force, over 300 retailers across the United Kingdom have either closed down or are no longer selling psychoactive substances, police have arrested suppliers and action by the National Crime Agency has resulted in the removal of these drugs for sale on UK based websites.

Solvents: Misuse

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding the Government has committed to  reduce deaths associated with solvent abuse via each (a) Department, (b) Agency, (c) Local authorities, and (d) voluntary organisation?

Victoria Atkins: Funding decisions in relation to substance misuse services have been devolved to local authorities through the public health grant. It is for local authorities to commission the appropriate health services to address the use of volatile substances based on an assessment of local need. Local areas need to consider how best to prevent and treat volatile substance use through age appropriate services. Local specialist services can support young people to address their substance misuse, and should operate as part of a wider network of services which aim to support young people with a range of issues and help them to build their resilience. Adults who have problems with volatile substances can also access support from community drug and alcohol services, which should be able to provide appropriate psychosocial interventions to help them stop using these substances and medicines for symptomatic relief if needed.

Home Office: Official Hospitality

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money his Department has spent on hospitality in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: ‘Hospitality’ expenditure is not separately visible in the Home Office published accounts; the figure is included in ‘Travel, Subsistence and Hospitality’ for the Financial Years requested, refer to the links below: FY2016/17 page 115:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/627853/ho_annual_report_and_accounts_2016_2017.pdfFY2015/16 - page 132:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539638/HO_AR_16_gov.pdfFY2014/15 – page 123https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441282/HO-AR15_web.pdfFY2013/14 – page 109https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/321446/ARA_web_enabled_18_June.pdfFY2012/13 – page 131https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210660/Annual_Report_and_Accounts_FINAL_updated_logo.pdf

Immigration

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to meet its target for net inward migration.

Caroline Nokes: The Government remains committed to bringing net migration down to sustainable levels. It will take time to achieve this. We will manage reforms to the immigration system responsibly so that it continues to serve the national interest.

Immigration

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish her policy on migration after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: In December 2017, we reached a deal with the EU on citizens’ rights. Last week, we reached a reciprocal agreement with the EU on citizens’ rights in the Implementation Period.The government is considering a range of options for the future immigration system and will set out proposals later this year. We have asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise in September this year on the economic and social impacts of UK’s exit from the EU and also on how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy. The MAC published an interim report on 27 March and we will be considering the detail of their interim report closely.The Government will have sufficient time to take account of the MAC’s advice when making any final decisions about our future immigration system, which will be implemented from 2021.

Slavery

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to update its 2014 Modern Slavery Strategy.

Victoria Atkins: The UK Government has had an ambitious Modern Slavery Strategy in place since 2014 and continues to focus on implementing this Strategy. Significant progress has been made in delivering the actions in the Modern Slavery Strategy and this work is detailed in the 2017 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery. The report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2017-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery

Human Trafficking

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department collects on the number of confirmed victims of trafficking who are subsequently re-trafficked once they have left the National Referral Mechanism.

Victoria Atkins: The ability to monitor long term outcomes for confirmed victims that leave the National Referral Mechanism and do not wish to maintain contact is extremely difficult. As part of the National Referral Mechanism reform programme, we are introducing access to a 6 month ‘drop-in’ service for confirmed victims following leaving Government funded support, in addition to implementing a digital system that will improve our ability to identify individuals who have previously been through the National Referral Mechanism.

Visas: India

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend the two-year validity visa pilot scheme offered to Chinese nationals to Indian nationals; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: Visitors from India are important to our tourism market and the Government is committed to offering the most efficient and customer focused visa service in India.Since January 2016 the UK has offered a two-year validity visit visa to Chinese nationals for the same price as a six-month visa. This is a pilot scheme, which we are running to assess the benefits and impacts of such an approach, and which will be subject to proper evaluation. There are currently no plans to extend this pilot to any other countries.

Cabinet Office

Duchy of Lancaster: Assets

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the value of the assets of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Mr David Lidington: The Duchy continuously seeks to optimise the value of its assests by maintaining a strong and diversified portfolio. This will continue to be the case after we leave the European Union.

Duchy of Lancaster: Written Questions

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 118559, tabled by the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith on 11 December 2017.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to PQ118559 given on 4th April 2018.